13 year old Panu Wisetsombat from Kata Beach, Phuket wins 1st place in the first-ever RIPCURL GROM SEARCH series at Nai Harn Beach on Saturday, August 21, 2010!

The RIPCURL GROM SEARCH 2010 at Nai Harn Beach was the first of three events that are set for kids under 15 years old. With more than 25 up-and-coming young surfers in Phuket, including locals and tourists, the contest has sparked new interest in surfing among the Thai, foreign residents, and tourist youth.

The contest began on Saturday morning with sparkling overhead waves and brilliant sunshine. Although the following heats were made challenging by rain, wind, and low tide, the kids were nonetheless excited and stayed-on to show their surfing skill and impress the spectators. Everyone was made comfortable by fantastic and unlimited hot pizzas delivered from Davinci’s Restaurant!

The next RIPCURL GROM SEARCH will be held at Kata Beach on September 4th and then at Surin Beach on September the 18th. RIPCURL will have games and free gifts for kids and spectators alike, lasting for the whole day.... so come and join the fun for free!

RIPCURL GROM SEARCH 2010 Nai Harn Beach Results:

1st Panu Wisetsombat (13)
2nd Dyou Worawong (13)
3rd John Robinson (11)
4th Jimmy Partenent (11)
 
THE RIP CURL THAILAND GROM SEARCH 2010 is sponsored & supported by Rawai Municipility, Karon Municility, OBT Cheng-Ta-Lay, Surfing Thailand, Komunity Project, Ocean&Earth, Phuket Post, Phuket 91.5FM, Thailand Surfrider Magazine, Davinci Restaurant and Nautilus SurfShop.

Check pictures and other RIP CURL THAILAND activity at http://www.facebook.com/ripcurlthailand

News and Editing: Steven A. Martin - Surfing Thailand

Photos: Supat Onsuwan

The first free Thailand surf magazine - Thailand Surfrider Mag issue 2 April-June 2010 available online at http://issuu.com/thaisurfrider/docs/issue2

Enjoy!

การเล่นเซิร์ฟหรือการ เล่นโต้คลื่นนั้น มีที่มาจากประเพณีโบราณดั้งเดิมของคนพื้นเมืองของเกาะฮาวายและเกาะตาฮิติ ซึ่งชนพื้นเมืองจะเล่นโต้คลื่นบนกระดานโต้คลื่นที่ทำจากไม้เนื้อแข็งชนิด ต่างๆ โดยเฉพาะไม้เนื้อแข็งชนิดหนึ่งที่ขึ้นบริเวณเกาะฮาวายที่เรียกว่า “ไม้โคอา - Koa” ปัจจุบันสามารถชมกระดานโต้คลื่นที่ทำจากไม้ ที่ทำขึ้นในสมัยศตวรรตที่๑๕ ได้ที่พิพิธภัณฑ์บิชอฟ โฮโนลูลู บนเกาะฮาวาย  

มีตำนานของชาวฮาวายเล่าว่า มีการสวดมนต์บูชาให้กับท้องทะเลเพื่อขอให้มีคลื่นที่ดีในเล่นโต้คลื่น และแสดงความเคารพต่อท้องทะเลโดยการเข้าแข่งขันโต้คลื่น

เมื่อมกราคม 2010 ที่ผ่านมา สมาชิกของชมรมนักโต้คลื่นภูเก็ตจำนวน 15 คนได้เข้าร่วมการแข่งขันโต้คลื่น Monsoon Mayhem 2010 ที่หาดเดซารู ประเทศมาเลเซีย และได้คว้ารางวัล ชนะเลิศรุ่นลองบอร์ด และอันดับสามรุ่นลองบอร์ดมาครับ

ทริปของเราสนุกมาก โดยชมรมฯได้สนับสนุนค่าใช้จ่ายในการเดินทางและที่พักสำหรับนักโต้คลื่นของเรา สามารถดูภาพถ่ายของทริปนี้ได้ที่

http://www.phuketboardriders.com/members/profile/1/albums/79

ขอแสดงความยินดีกับเดย์ และดำ ด้วยครับ ที่คว้ารางวัลมา ปีหน้าเราไปกันใหม่ครับ

19 January 2010, Kuta, Bali: Indonesia’s elite Junior surfing team climbed about the Jetstar flight last evening at 9:45 and headed out of Bali en route to the ISA Quiksilver World Junior Surfing Championships in Piha, New Zealand. They will make a stop in Sydney Australia to pick up their other team member Oney Anwar, before jetting over the Auckland and then on to the final destination of Piha.

When they arrive in Auckland, the team will be greeted by Nick “Chongee” Ngau-Chun and the crew from Fiona Anderson’s Piha Camp Ground then whisked away to the beach, which will be their new home for the next 8 days. Team Coach Tipi Jabrik will meanwhile head into Auckland to the ISA HQ to get everyone properly checked in, while Team Manager/Media guy Tim Hain will be catching a late flight tonight from Bali to join the crew at Piha tomorrow afternoon.

(Sunday 10 January, 2010): 13 year-old Jay-R Esquivel from the Philippines won his first international grommet contest today at the Billabong Occy Grom Comp at Cherating Beach in Malaysia.  Young Jay-R put on an amazing display of surfing during all three days of competition at the long, sandy-bottomed point break, getting cheers and wowing the crowd on the beach.  The energetic grom showed off a well-rounded repertoire of maneuvers consistently impress the judges and rack up big points in virtually every heat.

And this talented youngster not only bested his fellow groms in the Occy Grom Comp, but he also took a second place in the Billabong Pro Am Men’s Open Division, receiving a wild card into the event to try his luck against the bigger boys.  On the podium he was asked to say a few words to audience, so the shy little shredder bravely took the microphone and said, “Thanks Billabong and thanks to my sponsor” after accepting his trophy and prizes.  Jay-R won this trip to Occy Grom Comp as a reward for his second place finish at the Billabong Grom Comp in the Philippines in December of 2009.  

(Tuesday 15^th December, 2009): The little known surf town of Cherating on the South China Sea coast of Malaysia will play host to its first ever Billabong Occy Grom Comp in one months time. The monsoon season, which typically starts in November and blesses the Malaysian shores for a solid four months, has already provided tourists and locals alike with some fantastic consistent waves.

In a major coup for the Asian surf scene, 1999 World Champion of Surfing Mark 'Occy' Occhilupo will bring his specialized Grommet event to the ridiculously long sand bottom point break, attracting the best young surfers in the region from January 8th to January 10th.

(Monday 14th December, 2009): It was a proud day for Malaysian surfing with the opening of the first co-concept store between Billabong and SatuSuku Surf on Saturday. The small Billabong space is set to compliment an already thriving surf scene and the well established SatuSuku Surf school and board hire business on the South China Sea side of the Malaysian coastline. Locals and tourists alike flock to Cherating Pt each monsoon season to get a taste of some of the longest sand-bottom point breaks in the world, a few boasting rides in excess of 1.5km long.

Greg Long : ASP/CI by Cestari via    CALIFORNIA'S GREG LONG WINS QUIKSILVER IN MEMORY OF EDDIE AIKAU Surfersvillage Global Surf News, 8 December, 2009 : - - Waimea Bay -- After 25 years with most of those spent waiting, Waimea Bay delivered an event of legendary proportions today at the Quiksilver In Memory of Eddie Aikau, Fueled by Monster Energy. It was 25 years to the day since the first 'Eddie' was held and waves of up to 50 feet poured in to Oahu's North Shore as if on cue. With younger brother Clyde still in the lineup, at age 60, joined by the contemporary top guns of big wave riding, a packed arena celebrated every gutsy ride in brilliant sunshine befitting of a tribute to local hero Eddie Aikau. When all was said and done, it was California's Greg Long, 26, (San Clemente) who made a late charge in the final heat of the day to claim the $55,000 winner's purse. Long committed to an unbelievable never-say-die attack, securing all four of his top scores - several of them death-defying and one of them a perfect 100-point ride, in macking 40- to 50-foot waves. It was the high point of his career to-date - pretty incredible given that he only rode Waimea for the first time this week. "I'm so happy just to be here, invited into the biggest event of big waves in the world with all my heroes, I'm so excited," said Long.

Waimea, Saturday 5 December © ASP/ CI/ Cestari via Getty Images

Quiksilver Big Wave Invitational in Memory of Eddie Aikau
Fueled by Monster

ASP Specialty Event
Waimea Bay Oahu, Hawaii
1 December 2009 - 28 February 2010

Quiksilver Eddie Aikau competitors put in practise session  

Surfersvillage Global Surf News, 6 December, 2009 : - - Waimea Bay, Hawaii - **WARNING: The National Weather Service issued high surf warnings to local residents yesterday. 'In the interest of public safety, the Civil Defense may close roads and beach accesses along the North Shore. The safest place to be is away from coastal areas'.

Quiksilver in Memory of Eddie Aikau invitees & alternates enjoyed a solid 18- to 20-foot warmup swell at Waimea Bay Saturday.The National Weather Service reports that swell will build early Monday and continue into Tuesday and Wednesday with open ocean swell heights exceeding 22 feet, meaning wave heights of 30 feet or higher at North Shore surf spots.